Mike D'Antoni says Chris Paul 'worried' after fourth-quarter injury

SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick breaks down Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, where the Rockets took a 3-2 series lead on the Warriors that may have come at a big cost.
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Chris Paul is slow to get up after a fourth-quarter hamstring injury in Game 5.(Photo: David J. Phillip, AP)

HOUSTON — Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul had to watch the final 22.4 seconds of Thursday’s thrilling Game 5 win over Golden State due to a right hamstring injury suffered on a floater with under a minute left.

His status for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night in Oakland has yet to be determined.

Rockets guard Eric Gordon, whose three-pointer from the left wing with 1:21 off a James Harden pass was the eventual game-winner, admitted that there is serious concern about Paul's status.

"I really do just hope he’s ready for the next game," Gordon, who had 24 points, told USA TODAY Sports. "It will be tough (if he's not). He’s a major part of what we do. We’ll just see what happens. He couldn’t play. I just know that at the end of the day, we need him."

Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said other players will need to step up if he can't go.

“We’ll see,” D’Antoni said following Houston’s 98-94 win to take a 3-2 series lead. “He'll be re-evaluated tomorrow. They’ll do whatever they can do. If he’s there, great, good for him. If he isn’t, we have enough guys, and it’s time for somebody else to step up. We got plenty of guys over there that will have some fresh legs. That’s for sure."

Paul hit just six of 19 shots and finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, but his tenacious defense had everything to do with the Rockets' incredible effort. If he can't play in Game 6, as D'Antoni knows, it changes everything for this team that is just one win away from its first trip to the NBA Finals since 1995.

"His spirits aren’t great," D'Antoni said of Paul. "He wanted to be out there for sure and is worried and all that. That’s normal. We’ll see tomorrow how it goes. What he did was remarkable when we were kind of teetering. He made two or three threes that just, his heart. They weren’t great shots, they were nothing and he made something out of nothing. It was his heart and his will to win. I don’t know how many times everybody’s got to see it in the league, he’s one of the best players to play the game. Just his will alone and what it means. … I don’t know. If you can’t root for him, I think you’ve got some problems."

D'Antoni was alluding to Paul's 18-point second half, which included four three-pointers. Paul's scoring was even more valuable with Harden's extended three-point shooting struggles. Harden had 19 points in the game and was 0-of-11 from the three-point line.